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HIGHLIGHTS

"Only those people are complaining of EVM tampering who might have benefited from such a thing."

"The Congress has been wiped out. Rahul Gandhi could not even get his party to win in Amethi."

While there has been a clamour for a bigger role for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the coming years, the BJP leader cleverly attacked the question posed to him about his prime ministerial aspirations.

Adityanath summed up his mantra by quoting a Bhagvat Geeta verse that PM Modi had once recited himself in Parliament in 2015. The UP leader was then a Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur.

Speaking on the Constitution and the idea of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had referred to several verses from Geeta in Lok Sabha in 2015. One of them was:

"Na Twaham Kamaye Rajyam Na Swargam Na-apunarbhavam.Kaamaye Dukha-Taptanam Praninamarti Naashanam." "O Lord ! I do not want any Kingdom, nor heavenly pleasure nor even escape from rebirth. But I do want that the affliction of all beings tormented by the miseries of life may cease."

Adityanath further borrowed it at Agenda Aaj Tak, saying that he had no grand ambition but just one mantra - Kaamaye Dukha-Taptanam Praninamarti Naashanam.

YOGI HAILS CIVIC POLLS RESULTS

Adityanath today hailed the landslide victory for the BJP instate civic polls as a stamp of approval for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies.

"More than five crore population has expressed their confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is the mandate for the economic reforms of Narendra Modi," said Yogi Adityanath.

The UP chief minister also rejected the Opposition's charge that EVMs were tampered. He said, "Only those people are complaining of EVM tampering who might have benefited from such a thing. I read the statement of (SP leader) Naresh Agrawal who blamed EVM for our victory."

"I want to ask Naresh Agrawal that does he believe that his son (Nitin) won the election due to faulty EVM? If so, he should ask him to resign and go for fresh election," Yogi Adityanath said.

AN EYE OPENER FOR CONGRESS

Responding to Congress's loss in Amethi, Yogi Adityanath said, "For congress, the UP civic polls should be an eye opener. The Congress has been wiped out. Rahul Gandhi could not even get his party to win in Amethi."

"Rahul Gandhi has become a bechara, he has become a laughing stock due to his acts and speech. Congress believes if it has to lose a state election, it sends Rahul Gandhi there," Yogi Adityanath said.

"The Congress has tried dividing Hindu society between janeudhari and non-janeudhari Hindus. He becomes Catholic Christian when he goes outside and visits temples if there is Gujarat election," Adityanath said adding that he has evidence to prove that the Congress vice-president calls himself Christian abroad.

CONGRESS FAILED IN AMETHI

Adityanath further said, "for four generations, Rahul Gandhi's family has been representing Amethi. They could not get an office of DM, CMO in Amethi. But, in Gujarat, he questions development there. He has no locus standi to question development brought in Gujarat by the successive BJP governments."

Yogi Adityanath also rejected the charge that extra-judicial killings were happening in Uttar Pradesh.

Responding to the recent NHRC notice over extra-judicial killings in UP, Yogi Adityanath said, "we will respond to the notice, but, criminals should not expect leniency from the UP administration."

On the question of building Ram temple at Ayodhya through dialogue, the UP chief minister said, "I met Sri Sri Ravi Shankar but that was a courtesy call, I feel the stage of mediation for building Ram temple is over. I think we have crossed that stage. Now, we should wait for Supreme Court's judgment."

ON ENCEPHALITIS

While talking about encephalitis, CM Adityanath asserted that his government had prepared a structured scheme to deal check spread of the ailment. "We have provided vaccination to about 92 lakh children for protection against Japanese encephalitis," said the CM.

Yogi Adityanath further said that Japanese encephalitis and acute encephalitis would be eliminated from Uttar Pradesh during his tenure. He claimed that encephalitis had been reduced from 60 per cent to one per cent.